Wednesday, 2 October 2013

Macmillan Cancer Support & Boots Twitter Q&A #bootsmacmillanbeauty

I am proud to announce that I am hosting a Twitter Q&A next week and will be joined by guest experts Celebrity Makeup Artist Daniel Sandler (@danielsandler) and Boots Macmillan Beauty Advisor, Samantha Catt (@Macmillancancer). Join us on Tuesday 8th October between 7pm-8pm over on Twitter @perfectpolished when we will be discussing how to manage the visible side effects of cancer and help those going through treatment with boosting their confidence. We shall be using the hashtag #bootsmacmillanbeauty throughout the hour session so you are able to follow the conversation.

A poll by Macmillan Cancer Support showed that 81% of cancer patients feel the visible side effects of their treatment have negatively affected their self esteem. Despite this, 64% are unsure of how to disguise them and 73% would welcome beauty advice from a local trained adviser. To meet this need, No7 advisors have been specially trained to offer advice and support to help people affected by cancer to manage the visible side-effects of their treatment. A tailored and personalised service has been developed by Boots and Macmillan Cancer Support and it aims to help women undergoing cancer treatment to feel more like themselves again at a time when they need it most, with a discrete one-to-one consultation.

Daniel will be providing advice on how to manage the visible side effects of cancer, and helping women to feel more like themselves again. He did Jade Goody's wedding make-up so has experience with this type of make-up application. His mum also had cancer so he has personal experience of the issue. Samantha Catt is a Boots Macmillan Beauty Advisor who has been specially trained to disguise the visible side-effects of cancer treatment. Boots is using this Twitter Q&A to not only give make-up advice to those dealing with cancer, but also to encourage them to talk to their local Boots Macmillan Beauty Advisor.

I, like Daniel, have had personal experiences of cancer within my family. With this being such a sensitive topic, I'm sure many would think that looking ‘pretty’ is the least of cancer sufferers’ issues. Today, I had the pleasure of meeting two ladies from a hospice whilst on a training day in Reading. I mentioned to them about the #bootsmacmillanbeauty Twitter Q&A and asked what they thought. They told me that many of their terminally ill patients enjoy having their hair washed and styled or having makeup applied as it gives them a boost and this Q&A session was a brilliant idea.

If you would like to find out more then please visit www.boots.com/cancer. I hope that you will join in with the Q&A session next week and please help spread the word. If you or somebody you know if going through treatment then please share this if you think they could benefit.